


roll down this unfamiliar road

by loosingletters



Series: light [11]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Fictional Religion & Theology, Gen, Jedi Culture, Storytelling, Tatooine Slave Culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:48:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26183689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loosingletters/pseuds/loosingletters
Summary: Anakin didn’t understand Jedi stories and Obi-Wan didn’t know any tales told on Tatooine. They met somewhere in the middle.Or: Miscommunication averted.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Series: light [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1739998
Comments: 44
Kudos: 886





	roll down this unfamiliar road

**Author's Note:**

> Star Wars Discord: Jedi having their own stories :D  
> Star Wars Discord, but Angst Mode: Anakin doesn't understand them-

Anakin was sitting on the ground of his and Obi-Wan’s shared quarters, tinkering with a droid as Obi-Wan told him a story. It was a little weird, being told stories like this. On Tatooine, his mother had just shared whatever wisdom she could think of when it fit. They hadn’t had a set time for it. Here on Coruscant, in the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan had put storytime on Anakin’s itinerary. Jedi stories were different than those of the desert as well. His mother had ever only expected Anakin to listen, never to reply. Often enough it was hard enough for one person to share their tale, expecting a reply was simply impossible.

Jedi stories were based on a never-ending back and forth between speaker and listener.

“... and you see the man left his knife. So what would you do?”

_Take it_ , Anakin wanted to say, but didn't dare say out loud. It would be the wrong answer, Anakin knew it. He always gave the wrong answers that made Obi-Wan frown and just once he wanted to get something _right_.

“Anakin?”

_Take it_ , Anakin thought. He'd take the knife and hide it in his boots or perhaps strap it to the inside of his thighs if he had the time. Were it a small pocket knife, he'd even swallow it. He had done so for smaller objects before, thrown them up a little later where it was safe. Not the best solution on Tatooine, you always lost too much fluid when vomiting, but it kept _Masters_ from noticing. It was one of the first lessons they taught the new arrivals who came to the slave quarters from off-world.

Anakin would take that knife and he would hide it, cling to it for dear life because the Padawan in the story _needed_ it to get back to their Master. He'd smile at the Master keeping the knife because they could always get more, free as they were, and then run like hell. Anakin needed that knife to keep close the one person he cared about. He would take it, every time.

“I don't know, Obi-Wan,” Anakin finally replied, sighing in frustration. “Can't we do something else? ‘sabers?”

Obi-Wan only shook his head and Anakin could _see_ that he was trying to keep up appearance, but his smile was fading with every second. He was disappointed for sure.

"Do you want to know what I wanted to do when my Master first told me this story?"

Anakin looked down at his hands, the droid he had been tinkering with, and shrugged. It looked like he wasn't getting out of this.

"I wanted to take the knife. It seemed like the easy option. I needed it, so I should take it."

Now Anakin met Obi-Wan's eyes. "Easy?"

He echoed before he could stop himself, his voice so much more bitter than he had wanted Obi-Wan to hear. He couldn't speak like that at the Temple, shouldn't, because he was a Jedi now and Jedi were _good_ and _kind_ but a situation like this was never _easy_ because stealing meant _death_ if your Master found out. He didn’t understand how Obi-Wan could call such a situation easy.

You only took such risks for people you couldn’t life without and some people just were worth dying for.

_(Obi-Wan was one of them.)_

X

Anakin hadn’t been able to close his eyes for the entire night, thinking over the story Obi-Wan had told him before. None of the other Jedi tales had struck such a cord, but perhaps this one just reminded Anakin too much of the story his mother had told him the night before he had won his freedom. So by the time morning rolled around, Anakin crawled out of his bed, made breakfast as always, and waited for Obi-Wan to get up as well.

Once his Master had entered the kitchen, looking not quite as put together as usual, Anakin decided to bring it up.

“Can I tell you a story?" Anakin asked, not daring to look Obi-Wan into the eyes for once as he pushed his breakfast around. Sharing stories was sacred, especially over meals, and it took much more than Anakin had to give and he wasn't sure he'd be able to stay so brave if he had to look Obi-Wan in the eyes.

"Of course," Obi-Wan replied. His voice was light, kind and soft, filled with surprise.

Anakin tried to draw strength from it as he began to speak.

"This is a story of the desert, so don't tell it elsewhere.”

Anakin paused to see if Obi-Wan was listening to him. After he had reassured himself that his teacher was paying attention, he continued.

“There once was a child of the desert, hungry and sad as their Master was a harsh man. One day, however, the Master went away. He had gone on a long trip and gave all his slaves a task, but not the child. When the child noticed this, they thought _I can leave for the desert now_. So the child put on their sturdiest boots. When a slaver asked them why, they said _because I have to walk as quickly as I can for my master_ and the slaver let them go. They put on a scarf and when a slaver asked them why, they said _so that nobody sees my golden hair and thinks they can steal me_ and the slaver let them go. They took an apple on the way out and a slaver stopped them and asked why and they said _because I should praise my Master's wealth everywhere_ and the slaver let them go. The child was almost out of the door when they saw their sibling. They did not know their name and they need not ask. _Where are you going?_ their sibling asked. _Where my master asked me to go_ the child replied. _Take this knife then too,_ the sibling said. _And when a master asks you why, you say you need it and push it straight into his heart before he can strike you down for it._ The child tried to give their sibling the knife back. _You need it more than me,_ they said. _When they notice what I've stolen, I'll be long gone but you'll be still here and they will know it was you and they will hurt you for it._ "

Anakin slowly dared to raise his head to look Obi-wan in the eyes. Obi-Wan was silent, looking at Anakin the same way he looked at puzzles like he couldn't quite figure out what Anakin was saying but almost understood.

"Do you take the knife, Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked quietly, hoping the answer he would get would be the right one.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
